One Step Towards Better
by anotherday123
Summary: Percy's been in the Half-Blood Mental Institution for Youth for too long.  Annabeth just got here but isn't quite as independent as she thinks. Percy wants to help, but, really, what can a mute, depressed, damaged good do for a broken soul? Trigger warning, T for language
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1:**

Percy had always wanted to die on his birthday. It was just something he had always thought, something that had always had a strange appeal. He had thought it since he was quite young, actually. Of course, when he thought about death as a little kid, he wasn't as much of a fucked-up eighteen-year-old, well, now nineteen-year-old.

Today was a special day for Percy. It was his nineteenth birthday. But that's not why it was special. It was the one year anniversary of his death. And he was celebrating it at the Half-Blood Mental Institution for Youth. HBMIY. Not a great acronym.

Percy's day began as usual, waking up at 3:30 in the morning, thinking in bed, getting ready, and writing one solitary line with a dry erase marker in his room's bathroom mirror. That day, he had chosen a quote he had told himself every day since years before when he heard a stupid kid scream it on the television.

 _You can't define me._

This had possessed different meaning for every stage of his life. But it never meant, and would never mean, that he was healed. He would be forever broken.

The nurses had already done their morning wake-up rounds as he was exiting the room for breakfast. He nodded his head in greeting to Sadie and Thalia, two of his closest...acquaintances. He didn't have any friends. And that was just the way he liked it. He carried his composition book, as always, in case someone decided to strike up a conversation. He ate his usual breakfast, cereal and some weird liquid they gave him in a styrofoam cup. He hated styrofoam. Luke, his least favorite of the patients, purposefully scraped a cup with his plastic fork, causing Percy's entire body to be wracked with shivers. Well, that was a great way to start off his birthday. Suddenly, a cake was being rolled in and people were singing. To him. He had never celebrated his birthday before. At least, not like this. He simply plastered a fake smile on his face and swayed slightly to the extremely off key song. This confirmed his suspicions that everyone in this asylum was tone deaf. But the singing was cut short by faint, but audible yelling. Everyone knew what that meant. Some excitedly bounced from their chairs, while others groaned in disgust. Not at the fact that we get a new possible friend, but at the fact that they're struggling. They all-well, most of them-had struggled against the guards, desperate to be free. But they were only met with lots of muscle and more gushy therapy sessions. They all knew it was pointless to struggle.

They made their way to the entrance, Percy grabbing a slice of cake as he went. But it wasn't for him. They laid their eyes on the new one. Then, bored now that the hopeless struggle was over, they went back to eat cake. But Percy stayed behind. Because Percy remembered how he struggled continuously to adjust. He remembered how he wished someone had been there to help him. All through his life, he was stuck with painful memories of abandonment and loss. So, he stayed behind. But he was still hidden in the shadows, watching every move this new kid made. It was fun, watching the girl's grey eyes dart back and forth between the guards and the open door behind them. And then, she made the stupid mistake of trying to run. By now, everyone had gone back to the cafeteria and Percy watched, observing her agility. She had actually somehow managed to make it out the door, but, before long, was being dragged back inside. Ha, she actually thought she could escape. Well, she was plopped down into a chair, seemingly defeated. The eighteen or so - Percy estimated - year old scanned the room, the look of fire replaced by wide eyed curiosity. Her eyes met with Percy's, one set of deep eyes to the other. Understanding he had been noticed, Percy reluctantly stepped from the safety of his dark corner and into the light. The new kid slowly stood up and made her way over, glancing quickly at the guards. Seeing they were occupied, she extended her hand.

"Annabeth."

Percy did not take her hand, nor did he introduce himself. Because he was an idiot. He had thought it would be fine to just come over and help the new kid adjust. Well, guess what, adjusting means talking! Nope. So, Percy quickly shoved the plate of cake into the other kid's outstretched hand before taking off back to the cafeteria. And so, the new kid, Annabeth, began her new life at HBMIY. Still not a good acronym.

Annabeth never got to eat her cake. She was quite upset about that. It looked good. And, she felt obligated to enjoy it since that kid had brought it for her.

But it had been confiscated by the security guards almost immediately. Annabeth glumly accepted this and waited for a while before she was led into a small, private room. A man in a lab coat asked for her phone and metal accessories. She gave him her phone and bracelet, but decided to keep on her necklace. Of course, the man discovered this as he was patting her down, so her Athena necklace that Bobby had given her ironically was taken. It was originally a joke, but after a few years, the irony turned dark. Probably because she was an antisocial weirdo. Or maybe because of her near death experience with alcohol poisoning. Either way, she was known as the Mark of Athena (ironic because she was known to be easily agreeable to the stupid acts of drunk teens), the freak that was entirely self involved, suffered addictions, and had absolutely no friends. The man in the coat looked at her expectantly and Annabeth realized she must've been asked a question.

"Hmmm?"

The man just rolled his eyes before asking her date of birth and full name again. The next question was a bit of a struggle for Annabeth,

"When was the last time you consumed any alcoholic beverages?" Annabeth stuttered. She couldn't remember. Sometime last night, probably, but she had woken up with a splitting headache in front of the hospital around 1:00 this morning.

"10 hours ago..."

It came out more as a question than a statement. But she was underage. And the man knew this, half-glaring, half-staring at the uncomfortable 18 year old in front of him. Annabeth felt the familiar rumbling of her stomach, signaling that she was about to throw up. She made it to the bathroom just in time. A nurse entered and spoke in what was supposed to be a soothing voice. She awkwardly stood off to the side as Annabeth continued to flip her organs inside out. At last, she was done and made her way back into the private room. But not before running into the kid from before. She had stared at ground, silently ordering it to steady beneath her. It didn't listen. Before she knew it, there was another pair of feet in her field of vision and then her body crashed forcefully into the other person. They both ended up on the ground, Annabeth yelping slightly as she lost sense of her surroundings. She mumbled an apology and glanced up, embarrassed, at the boy. But Percy just shrugged and helped her back to her feet. Annabeth quickly thanked him and made her way back to the room. By then, the man in the white coat was already gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Percy had felt bad about his "welcoming" actions. So, he brainstormed ideas for how to make himself appear more...he didn't even know; he wasn't necessarily a "people person." He had been on his way to the bathroom when the solution hit him. Literally. He glanced cautiously at the girl lying on the ground next to him. She seemed more stunned than Percy, so he quickly leapt up and brought the girl to her feet. He didn't hear what the girl was saying under her breath, but it didn't matter to him. He just shrugged and dragged the girl up with him. He waved goodbye before taking off again towards the bathroom, wincing slightly at the familiar smell of bile. He worried about the cake all night, hoping it wasn't what had set off her gut spilling into the toilet. He had been there before - the mix of shock, disgust, and denial overwhelming his body physically to the point of regurgitation. He wanted to help - he really did. He just wasn't sure how to start.


	3. Chapter 3

Annabeth was given a room, but she was sharing. That was fine with her, she just hoped her roommate wouldn't care about her strange habits. Or her cuts. And the most worrying thought for Annabeth was that her roommate would hear her sleep crying. She hadn't known she cried until her brother had just recently spent the night with her. When Bobby had asked her why she was crying, Annabeth didn't have an answer. All she had was a "sorry" and a sniffle. But Annabeth hadn't found out how to stop the consistent night time tears, so she hoped her roommate was a sound sleeper.

She hauled her one bag into the room. She examined the room carefully and slowly sat on the edge of the unoccupied bed. The two beds were across the room from one another, both equal distances from the small circular window in the middle. Annabeth got up and attempted to glance out the window, but it was too high. She grabbed a chair from the closet and set it in front. Then, she stood on it and peered outside. It was dull and gray. The clouds were crowding into the open sky and she watched a group of kids run down the street, probably ditching school. Annabeth knew that feeling, energy coursing through her veins, telling her she could do anything, pushing her forward, guiding her into the blinding, unmistakable light.

"Miss."

She jumped three feet in the air, bumping her head against the hard ceiling. Startled, she missed the chair on her way back down, crashing onto the floor.

"And that, miss, is why we do not allow residents to stand on chairs."

Annabeth looked up at the nurse who was standing over her. Her head still throbbed and she buried her bright red face in her arms in embarrassment.

The nurse attempted to pick her up and guide her over to the bed, but Annabeth was a huge mess, dizzy and still a little nauseous. She managed to stand up, but quickly keeled over and just gave up, lying on the floor face up. The nurse gave up, too, eventually just standing up and leaning on the doorframe.

"Anyways, Ms. Annabeth Chase, I have come to introduce you to your roommate."

Annabeth looked up and finally noticed the upside-down cake boy (whose name he still didn't know) standing outside the doorway. He waved at Annabeth and she waved back shyly. Her eyes met the boy's sea-green orbs, drawing her in. She tried to see into his mind, to figure him out, but quickly found that something was blocking her, stopping her from learning anything more.

"Annabeth, this is your roommate, Percy. I will leave you two to get to know each other. You both are very...nice children. Now, please let me know if you have any problems with this arrangement. It was not optimal to have to pair a girl and a boy for one room, but we are currently unable to change the situation. We trust that you will behave according to our protocol, and that you do not make any trouble."

Percy, the cake boy, broke his gaze, and Annabeth realized he had been laughing. At her. It wasn't unusual, she wasn't hurt by this in any way, but she was rather surprised. Percy's small body had been hacked with silent laughter, his mouth open, his shoulders shaking up and down. Annabeth witnessed this site and a smile crossed her face. Before long, she had broken out in laughter. Se could only imagine what she had looked like, jumping and falling to the ground like a sack of potatoes. Once their laughter had died down, they noticed that the nurse had left them. Percy tentatively entered the room and sat on his bed. Annabeth stood and made her way over to her own, wincing at the chorus of creaks and moans from the old mattress. The room was silent for a few minutes, Annabeth awkwardly thinking of a conversation to start. She wondered continually why Percy didn't say anything; she was the new one, after all.

Eventually, Annabeth stood and walked over across the room, about to sit next to Percy. But Percy had, at the same time, decided to move to the other side of his bed, tripping the girl and causing her to fall directly on top of him. Annabeth stuttered out a sorry as she examined the crushed boy beneath her. Percy just chuckled - silently, again - and moved back to the side of the bed. He had allowed space between him and the edge of the bed, so Annabeth decided it was okay for her to sit down.

"I don't think we were properly introduced," Annabeth started. She held out her hand to Percy.

"I'm Annabeth. And I'm almost positive your name's Percy?"

Percy just nodded and shook her hand. He reached for a notebook, which he had placed on his nightstand.

Annabeth watched curiously as Percy flipped through many pages of drawings and sprawled out sentences. Percy began writing out a message.

 _Hi. Welcome. Oh yeah, sorry for that sucky introduction earlier. What brings you here?_

It took Annabeth a few seconds before she realized what was happening. She finally spoke,

"Oh, don't worry about earlier. I was kinda shaken up, you know, after being dragged in here, and all. And alcoholism. And some other messed up...shit. How long have you been here?"

 _Oh. Wow. And, too many years. It'll be a week until my 5 year "anniversary". And yeah, depression, messed up shit, and I don't speak, too. Yup, this life kind of, sort of sucks._

At this point, Percy looked up and was met face to face with Annabeth. He hadn't realized Annabeth had leaned in to read his note. Their faces were less than a few inches apart. Percy and Annabeth both self-consciously bounced back, stunned. Annabeth quickly cleared her throat and picked up the notebook that had been thrown between them carelessly in the midst of...that, whatever it was. Annabeth's assumptions had been confirmed; Percy wasn't a weirdo like her, he just didn't speak.

She didn't know what to say. Then, she couldn't help but ask.

"How old are you? I mean, you look young but...mature?"

 _Yeah, I'm 19. Today._

"Woah, man. Happy birthday! I don't have a gift! Well, I guess for your birthday you get a new roommate!"

She glanced embarrassedly at Percy, trying to will the heat out of her cheeks. But her humiliation was met only with a smile. She was glad Percy was so...kind, so accepting. That was something Annabeth had never really experienced from anyone.

She decided to continue her story.

"I woke up this morning really fucking early and feeling like shit. Yup, I woke up in the hospital. Well, in front of it." Percy very visibly flinched at the word "hospital". Annabeth wondered what kinds of memories he had experienced there. She stored that thought in the back of her mind, continuing on, but she couldn't remember much. She just talked for what seemed like hours about how her parents had dropped her off here, signing two sheets of paper and just leaving her to the hands of strangers. She got up and stood back on the chair-but not before poking her head out the door to make sure no nurses were watching-and glanced once again out the window. The sky had cleared and the sun seemed to tell her that it was around 1 or 2 in the afternoon. Yeah, she did Girl Scouts when she was younger. She jumped down quickly from the chair as she heard footsteps in the hallway.

"Fuck," was all she had gotten out before running into the bathroom. Because she was an idiot. She was a fucking idiot who liked to jump off of chairs while being nauseous with her new - hot - roommate watching.


	4. Chapter 4

Annabeth stared at the mirror for a long, long time. Not looking at herself, but looking at what was written in bright red marker. She couldn't stop reading it, over and over and over again. She just couldn't understand it. She understood it so clearly; fuck, she said it. She had said it when she was piss drunk and her friends dared her to go on the news. She had screamed these exact words at a surprised camera man that was taping a story about Halloween years ago. Then, after that, one of her "friends" had somehow convinced her to jump off the roof. So yeah, she broke her hand and shattered a few ribs. Later on, she found out that she may not be able to talk again, a few pieces from her ribs had punctured part of her lung. And they were right, she wasn't able to talk for a few months. But eventually, when she was alone, she would sing. It was painful at first, singing with previously punctured lungs. But eventually, she had her voice back. She still didn't talk for a while, though. Only sang alone in the shower. Before long, she was talking. And screaming. And crying. And cutting. And drinking. And taking the oh-so-familiar pills. And waking up without knowing where she was, or sometimes even who she was. And crying. Again. And again. And again. It was vicious cycle. It was a deadly battle. And she was sent here to win it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

Percy was happy to have a roommate. He didn't like being alone. Not that privacy even exists in HBMIY, but at least now he didn't have to lie in the dark for hours, alone with his thoughts. Mostly, he was glad he didn't have to be alone for the rest of the time here. Now, he had a nice friend (?) to keep him company. Unless, of course, the nice friend turned out to be like most of the others, finding him strange and weird - not that they weren't - and deciding to alienate him. He would be okay, but he liked this new kid. Oh yeah, Chase. Percy thought that name was cool. But what was even cooler was her first name. Annabeth. He was stuck with "Percy", which sounded cool for the first decade, sharing it with a famous literary character and all, of his life, but then got a bit boring. He still didn't tell Annabeth about his previous birthday, of course. He didn't want to freak her out too much on her first day.

He helped Annabeth unpack her belongings, trying his best to give her space and not study the couple of family pictures stored in with her other clothes. Annabeth left the room with the photos before Percy had had a real chance to observe them. After a few minutes, Annabeth returned, and Percy didn't realized he had let out a sigh of relief until Annabeth glanced at him.

"You okay?" A look of worry clouded her face, but soon passed as Percy nodded his head, his cheeks burning. Annabeth smiled and brushed her long knotted hair out of her eyes. She wasn't really sure what she looked like. She probably should have looked in the mirror instead of staring at the message that, she presumed, Percy had written. Annabeth almost didn't want to see what she looked like. Soon, curiosity got the best of her, and she made her way into the bathroom, accidentally brushing past Percy on the way. She blushed, thankful that Percy was past her. Then, she glanced towards the mirror. Ouch. Time to fix _that_.


End file.
